CLEARWATER, Fla. — Aaron Nola, who faced major league hitters for the first time in his career Friday at Bright House Field, didn't get a chance to talk to Cole Hamels before his outing.
Hamels would have advised him: Don't try to do too much....

Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia doesn’t have much time to impress the Orioles this spring training, and he’s facing an uphill climb to crack a crowded bullpen. But despite not having the cleanest inning in the Orioles' 3-1 win over the New York ...

J.J. Hardy pondered the hypothetical question longer than most professional athletes might.
If he had not spent most of the 2014 season trying to play through a painful back injury that forced him to alter his swing and trade power for playing time,...

Look beyond those massive snowbanks, past the forecast for the next winter storm, and focus on the trucks. Those glorious tractor-trailers will be packed with baseball equipment in Boston and New York before rolling south this week.
Spring training is...

Didi Gregorius, the Yankees' new shortstop, will be fun to watch develop over time. It's nice to see the Yankees, looking to fill the position for the first time in 20 years, go in the direction of youth and potential with an economically sound decision to acquire Gregorius, 24, from the Diamondbacks in a three-team trade. Stephen Drew or Jimmy Rollins on short-term deals would have been predictable, boring. Gregorius, originally from the Netherlands, has a good glove and must prove that he can hit...

The Boston Red Sox got Hanley Ramirez, and Pablo Sandoval too.
The Dodgers got Juan Nicasio. He is a pitcher, given away by the Colorado Rockies, the team most desperate for pitching in all of baseball.
It was that kind of Monday in Los Angeles, on Day 42 of the Friedman administration.
Yes, spring training does not open for three months. Yes, the Dodgers have time to fill vacancies at shortstop, catcher, on their pitching staff and, with the departure of Ramirez, in the heart of their batting...

Hanley Ramirez received a qualifying offer from the Dodgers on Monday, the first stage of a free-agent process that is likely to end with the three-time All-Star signing with a different team.
Ramirez is expected to reject the proposal, which is essentially for a one-year deal worth $15.3 million, the average of the top 125 player salaries this year. That would mark a pay cut for Ramirez, who was paid $16 million this year.
The shortstop has seven days to accept the offer, and if he does it would mark...

What to do, what to do?
Like it or not, the Dodgers’ season is over and it’s time to begin that off-season check list. When it comes to players, at the top of the list is Hanley Ramirez.
He just completed the last year of his contract, which leaves the Dodgers three options: 1) re-sign him to a multiyear contract; 2) let him leave as a free agent or; 3) make him a one-year qualifying offer.
This is one of the team’s key off-season decisions, and the temptation might be to wait...

BOSTON -- The sellout crowd at Fenway Park on Saturday was there to witness the next-to-last game of Derek Jeter's distinguished career.
Oh, and by the way, there was a game to play.
Jeter went 1-for-2 with an infield hit and was injured slightly, and the Boston Red Sox scored eight runs in the second inning en route to a 10-4 blowout of the New York Yankees.
Jeter appeared to be limping slightly after the infield hit. After the game, he simply said, "Yup," when asked if he will play on Sunday. Hs...